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McAllister comes out in favor of Medicaid expansion during 5th District debate

McAllister Riser Debate

5th District candidates Monroe businessman Vance McAllister (left) and state Sen. Neil Riser of Columbia pose after a debate in Baton Rouge on Friday, Nov. 8, 2013. Voters will decide on Nov. 16 which of the two men will become the newest member of Louisiana's congressional delegation. Both are Republicans.
(Lauren McGaughy, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

The two men vying for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District agree on a lot of things: Both staunchly support the right to bear arms and believe in smaller, less intrusive state and federal governments. And both are conservative Republicans with business backgrounds.

But there's one thing they decidedly do not agree on: During a debate with his opponent state Sen. Neil Riser, R-Columbia, at Louisiana Public Broadcasting's Baton Rouge studios on Friday, Monroe businessman Vance McAllister stated that he is in favor of Medicaid expansion in Louisiana.

His remarks came in the wake of yet another refusal by Gov. Bobby Jindal to accept the expansion under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. President Barack Obama, visiting New Orleans on Friday, said the move is necessary because it would provide coverage to 260,000 uninsured Louisianians.

McAllister agrees.

During Friday's debate, he made it clear that because of the high poverty rate in the 5th District -- one of the highest in the country -- he believes the governor should accept the Medicaid expansion. He also criticized Jindal for his push to do away with the state's charity hospital system.

"Our governor and Sen. Riser right here have gutted (heath care) to the core and privatized it," said McAllister, adding, "Before we give handouts, we need to give hand-ups."

Not accepting offers like Medicaid expansion is the wrong choice, McAllister said: "If you're going down the road at 50 mph, you just can't throw it in reverse."

Riser accused McAllister of flip-flopping on the federal health care law, telling Democrats he was for it and Republicans he was against it. Riser said the law "has become a failure" that has to be repealed "at all costs."

"We sent a man to the moon, certainly we can repeal this law," Riser said.

McAllister and Riser also differed on another health care policy. Riser believes insurance companies have the right to decide whether or not to cover people with pre-existing conditions. McAllister said companies should be required to cover them.

For much of the rest of the debate, the two men were in agreement on issues. Both are in favor of infrastructure improvements and funding for food stamps; bots said cuts to higher education in Louisiana have been detrimental to the health of the state's institutions.

Both characterized themselves as Washington outsiders, McAllister even noting, "I've never been to Washington a day in my life."

In his closing remarks, McAllister said he would run a clean campaign and not issue ads, like the one Riser put out this week, attacking his fellow Republican.

Riser said he believes the combination of his business background and "short stint" in the state Senate would give him the experience necessary to work across the aisle in a Washington increasingly characterized by partisan gridlock.

After the debate, both men said they favored bipartisan legislation to delay dramatic increases in flood insurance rates under the Biggert-Waters Act.

Before the Nov. 16 runoff, the candidates will appear a few more times together. Additional debates will be held in the district next week. You can watch a replay of Friday's debate on LPB's website Sunday at 4:30 p.m.